The Donnelley Prize - For an essay on humankind’s relationship to the environment

Christ College is honored to announce the eleventh annual Donnelley Prize for the best Valparaiso University undergraduate essay on a subject involving humankind's relationship to the environment.

Essays may be drawn from a wide range of disciplines, including biology, chemistry, geography, history, ethnography, environmental ethics, environmental science, theology, and ecology. The essay may be written specifically for the Donnelley Prize or it may be a version of a paper previously written for a course.

The winner will receive a cash award of $750. The winner and selected finalists will be eligible for:

fully paid summer internships in organizations in the greater
Chicago region that focus on environmental issues, and

specially funded summer research opportunities.

How To Submit an Essay:

Essays should be no less than 1500 words, word-processed, and
double-spaced. The author’s name or other identifying information should not appear on the paper except on the cover sheet. A 125-word abstract of the essay must be included. Previous Donnelley Prize winners are not eligible for subsequent prizes. Essays will be judged by a Valparaiso University faculty committee.

Strachan Donnelley, PhD, who died in 2008, was recognized worldwide as an environmental and biomedical ethicist. He was founder and president of The Center for Humans and Nature, an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit organization with offices in New York, Chicago, and South Carolina. The Center’s work focuses on the mutual well being of human communities and the natural world. Dr. Donnelley was one of the first faculty members to teach in Christ College. It was at Valpo that he met his wife, Vivian Hilst, who was then a VU student. Christ College is deeply grateful to Strachan and Vivian Donnelley for their generosity in establishing this initiative.